“Once you’ve got that brown and gold through your blood, you’re always going to be Hawthorn.”
– John Platten, Hawthorn Hall of Fame member, four-time premiership player & 1987 Brownlow Medallist
Several Hawthorn Hall of Fame stars have led a tribute to the Hawks’ unique family culture, in a campaign released today by the club.
The campaign sets to capture the story behind Always, a word synonymous with the club since it was first launched as the Hawks' membership tagline in 2011.
The club commissioned artist George Rose to create a typographic logo of the word Always, drawing inspiration from significant members of the Hawthorn family.
As part of the process each of the club’s eight Legends were asked to handwrite the word Always and these inscriptions were then provided to Rose, who incorporated various elements from the Legends' interpretations to form the club’s official Always trademark.
In addition to the development of the trademark, several of Hawthorn’s most influential past players gathered at Glenferrie Oval to take part in a photoshoot capturing figures from various generations of the club’s success.
The photograph features Hawthorn Legends Graham Arthur, Leigh Matthews, Michael Tuck, David Parkin, Peter Hudson and Peter Knights, as well as Hall of Fame members Robert DiPierdomenico, John Platten, Dermott Brereton, Gary Ayres and Shane Crawford. All 13 of the club’s premiership cups also feature in the image captured by Melbourne based photographer, Nicole Reed.
In a video released by the club, Matthews describes Hawthorn as “home” despite having experienced success at both Collingwood and Brisbane.
“I went and worked for other clubs post Hawthorn but I guess in a football sense, it’s like Mum and Dad’s place. It’ll always be my first home,” said Matthews.
Similarly, 2008 premiership player Shane Crawford described his unbreakable connection to the brown and gold.
“There are many times you have opportunities to get involved with other clubs but I just can’t do that,” said Crawford.
“Always Hawthorn means that you can never let it go.”
Club Legend Peter Hudson echoed that sentiment, highlighting the strength of Hawthorn as its loyal and dedicated family.
“That’s I think the strength of the club. That so many people, even though they may have played a long time ago, they still support everything about the club and they still love the club,” said Hudson.
The Always trademark has already taken pride of place in the heart of Hawthorn, emblazoned on a club mural on the corner of Glenferrie Road and Linda Crescent.
L to R: Brereton, Arthur, Hudson, Crawford, Tuck, Platten, DiPierdomenico, Knights, Parkin, Ayres, Matthews
